Can-opener.



HENRY TILL, F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CAN-OPENER.

Specification of Letters '.Patent.

Patented Sept. 15, 1914.

Application filed. January 2, 1913. Serial No. 739,921.

To all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, HENRY TILL, citizen of the United States, residing at Los Aneles, in the county of Los Angeles and tate of California, have invented certain V new and useful Improvements in Can-Opentomary to punclitwo holes in the top of the can by the use of a nail, ice pick, or some other shar pointed instrument. Not only is this met od inconvenient but the contents of the can are liable to become contaminated by dirt upon the instrument used. Aside from this it is no easy matter to seal the openings after a portion of the contents have been poured from the can when the latter is to be ,put awa for future use, for the openings are not o a size to receive a bottle cork, nor are they as a usual thing regular.

The present invention contemplates the provision of an attached opening device for cans, which device will normally assume such a position as to permit of the cans to which it is applied being stacked one upon another and side by side and which may be manufactured and applied to the can atA an extremely low cost.

The invention also aims to provide an opening device which may be readily and quickly manipulated so as to punch openings in the top of the can to which it is applied and which may be subsequently employed as a means forseahng or closing these openings so as to prevent the entrance of dust and dirt into the can and to prevent clogging of the openings.

The present invention' is designed more particularly as an improvement on the structure shown in my co-pending application, filed Oct. 10, 1912, Serial No. 725,096. In the form of the opener shown in the copending application, the pointed ends of .the strips upon the can top project beyond the edge of the top, but in this position they are somewhat liable to be struck by other cans and broken or bent, and the present invention therefore contemplates housing the piercing points of the device in a recess in the top of the can.

Another feature of the invention resides in the formation of a novel finger-hold upon the point-carrying strips, whereby the strips may be sprung upwardly and swung upon their pivot. Also, the present invention contemplates a novel pivotal mounting for the strips.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be' had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a perspective view illustrating the invention applied to the top of a can and illustrating the strips in position prior to manipulation to pierce the can top. Fig. 2 is a top plan View illustrating in full lines the normal position assumed by the strips and in dotted lines the position assumed in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view, the strips being in the position shown in Fig. 1. Fig. f1 is a top plan view illustrating a slightly ihodified form of the invention.' Fig. 5 is aview illustrating the manner in which the top of the can is pierced by the device embodying the invention. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the point-carrying end of one of the strips. Fig. 7 is a plan view of aportion of the blank from which one of the piercing members is formed, the blank being in its initial folded position.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the top of a can, for example, a can containing condensed milk. In removing the contents of such a can it is customary to punch two holes inothe top at diametrically opposite points so that the contents may low from the can at one of the openings as air enters the can through the other, and as before stated, the opening device embodying the present invention is designed to be manipulated to punch the can top, and is ar-i ranged upon the said top. The opening device includes two pivoted members each in the nature of a strip 2 of sheet metal and these strips'are pivoted at their inner ends upon thetop of the can and carry at their outer ends the piercing points heretofore referred to. In pivotally mounting the strips upon the top of the can, the said top, preferably at its center, is struck up, as clearly shown in dotted lines and indicated at 3 in Fig. 3 of the drawings, to form a hollow stud to which the' inner ends of the l strips 2 are tted in the manner shown in' the said gure. After the 'strips have been assembled with the stud, the stud is upset to form a head 4 which serves to prevent disengagement of the strips 2. As stated'above,

each- 0f thestrips carries piercing points and these points are indicated in the drawings by the numeral 5 and as illustrated are conical in form, In formin the points 5, the

the manner of housing t e points within the recess 9 being clearly illustrated in Figs. l and 2 of the drawings. lf desired, two recesses 10`may be formed in the .top of the canin place of the single recess 9 so that each polnt will be independently housed. It will be understood, of course, that the strips are of a length less kthan the radius of the circledescribed'by the edge of the cantop so Athat their outer ends will terminate short of the said edge. Forconvenience in springing the strips upwardly to move the piercing points 'out of the recesses 9 or 10 in .which they `are normally housed und' also to withdraw the piercing points from the openings punched in the can top each strip 2 has its side edge portions near itsv outer end struck up as at 11 whereby to form oppositely locate/d iinger holds beneath which the nails of the thumb and orefinger may be engaged for the purpose stated.

In using the device, the strips being in the position shown in Fig. 2 of 'the drawings, are lifted or'sprung upwardly so as to disengage thepiercing points from the recess 9 and the strips are then swung upon their pivots so as to assumey substantially the dotted line position shown in the said ligure.

Downward pressure is then exerted against the ends of the strips or the can may be inverted and downward pressure exerted upon it so as to cause the piercing points to enter or pierce the top l, as shown 1n Fig. 5. y The strips are again swungback vto the dotted-- line position shown in'. Fig. 2 and their piercing points-5 are inserted into th'e openings pierced in the can top and indicated in Fig. 5 by the numeral 12. Thus, the piercing points serve as closures for the openings 12 as well as a means forl reducing these openings and consequently t econtents of the can may be kept fresh and clean and the forma# tion of the usual lm-atthe openings 1 2fis,

prevented.

It vwill of course be readily understood that whereas-the strips are here. shown as pivoted substantially at the center of the can top, the pivo't may be located eccentrically if desired and as shown in my before mentioned co-pending application. In, other words the location ofthe ivot is immaterial so long as the essential eatures ofthe in-` vention' are in evidence.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is f' l;

The combination with a container having a sealing top struck inwardly to provide a recess or seat and outwardly to provide a hollow stud spaced from the seat, of a re- 'silient member perforated at one end to len gage over the stud, the stud being headed to pivotally secure said member in pl ace, and a piercing point carried by the, free' end of the resilient member and adapted to normally Seat in the recess.

In testlmony whereof I affix my. signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY TILL. '[r.; s] Witnesses:

' AA. W. KAsTNnR,

W. J. WADHAMS. 

